ENRD organises a seminar on Revitalising rural services through social and digital innovation in Brussels on 22 May 2018.

The Seminar will bring together a wide range of practitioners and policy makers from all over Europe that have been developing projects for revitalizing rural services through social and digital innovation. In addition, participants will explore the role of rural and other EU policies in creating an enabling environment for Smart Villages.

The event aims to:

Develop a clearer understanding of the meaning and importance of Smart Villages in the current context;

Showcase the rich variety of the social and digital innovations that are springing up across Europe to revitalize rural services and promote an exchange of experience between them;

Identify the drivers and enabling factors of these initiatives from a practitioner’s point of view;

Launch a dialogue with policy makers and implementers about the steps required for creating a more supportive environment for Smart Villages – now and in the future.

Background

In April 2017, the European Parliament and three Commissioners of the European Union launched EU Action for Smart Villages.

Since then the momentum behind Smart Villages has been growing rapidly – both on the ground and at a policy level. The ENRD Thematic Group on Smart Villages has identified how rural communities across Europe are developing innovative local solutions and imaginative approaches for revitalising rural services in fields such as energy, transport, social care and many others.

Some of these initiatives have been triggered by the threats of depopulation, low density or cuts in services. Others are seizing the opportunities offered by digitisation, renewable energy and improved rural-urban linkages. Policy makers at all levels are exploring ways of encouraging these approaches.

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